International Partner Search

Innovation & Technology Request

Ultra-durable, hydrogen compressor bearings, seals, and coatings, components and technologies sought by a UK research team

Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Reference Number: TRUK20180223002
Publication Date: 2 March 2018

Summary

An ambitious UK advanced mechanical manufacturing research team with a history of commercialising novel innovations, seeks industrial and academic partners with bearings, seals, and coatings solutions able to meet the high-performance conditions, needed to meet the challenge of hydrogen compression.

The intention is to use research and technical cooperation agreements to collaborate iteratively on a long term basis in a flexible mutually beneficial manner that fits the scenario

Description

This UK based advanced mechanical manufacturing research team seeks bearings, seals, coatings and lubricants with the scope to reach the performance characteristics need for use in a compact compressor, with the aim to scale-up devices through the project. 



The components must be suitable or a significant progression towards components that can be used in a hydrogen compressor and able to cope with:



• High speeds (durability essential)

• High pressures (Hydrogen compressor minimum pressure is 350 bar, up to a maximum of 750 bar)

• High temperatures

• Promote a low leak rate suitable for hydrogen

• High loads



The components can be pre-existing, or the development of suitable parts can be part of the research project. 



At present the company is using turbocharger bearings which have a limit of approx. 10 bar.



The company has in-house mechanical and engineering expertise and could work with any potential partner in fine-tuning and testing the solution.



The compressor that this research team are developing uses a novel approach based on positive displacement. 



This project is currently at technology readiness level 3 with a credible project plan to reach technology readiness level 5. This project has the endorsement and funding of Innovate UK, The Advance Propulsion Centres: Technology Development Accelerator Programme reinforced by the experience and credibility of its team, stakeholders and other collaborators.



The collaborators’ involved in this project and being recruited include tribology specialists and material scientists for seal, bearings, coatings and component development.



The research team is searching for collaboration partners on a flexible basis, with a view to bringing together the necessary skills, capabilities and components to create novel and seminal answers to the challenge of generating power in a more effective manner. The use of research and technical cooperation agreements would fit well with the aims of this project.

Expertise sought

The components should meet the performance requirements above and have the longest service life possible, ideally 3 to 5 years.

Stage Of Development

Concept stage

Stage Of Development Comment

Should potential solutions not be market ready, the company can offer academia and industry a collaborative environment to access risk free funding opportunities to develop the components and technologies desired.

Requested partner

The components are sought for scaling-up a compact 15KW compressor for use in a Hydrogen refuelling system through a H2020 research project. 



An ideal partner would be able to offer the requested performance characteristics or join the research collaboration team to develop a solution through H2020 or other suitable funding opportunities.